The condition report guide every Victorian renter should read on move-in day.

If you are reading this the week you move in, you are already ahead of most Victorian renters. The entry condition report is the document rental providers and tribunal members look at first in every bond dispute. It is also the document most renters sign after a three-minute glance at the walls.

Under the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 (Vic), your rental provider must give you a condition report before you move in. You have three business days from the start of the tenancy to add to it, dispute it, and return it signed. Use those three days carefully.

Why the condition report matters so much

At the end of your tenancy, if there is any dispute about damage or cleaning, the comparison runs in one direction: the entry condition report versus the exit condition. Whatever is on the entry report is established as the starting point of your tenancy. Anything the rental provider wants to charge you for at the end has to demonstrably be worse than what is on that report, and not attributable to fair wear and tear.

The inverse is also true. If damage existed at entry but was not noted on the report, the rental provider can often claim it was caused during your tenancy. Your word against theirs, with the signed report as the tie-breaker.

How to complete the report

Do it room by room, not in one pass

Walk each room with the report open. Check every surface systematically, walls, floor, ceiling, windows, doors, fixtures. Do not trust your eye to spot everything on a single pass. Most renters miss more than they find.

Be specific, not general

"Scratch on laundry door, about 10 centimetres long, near the handle" is useful evidence. "Laundry door damaged" is not. The more specific your descriptions, the less room there is for later argument.

Note what is acceptable too

If the carpet in the living room is worn but serviceable, note it. If the bench has surface marks from previous use, note them. Your future self, at the end of the tenancy, will thank you for creating a record that these conditions predated you.

Photograph everything

The report itself usually has a few small photo boxes. That is inadequate. Take your own photos or video of every room, ideally in good daylight, with your phone's timestamp enabled. Keep them in a folder labelled with the tenancy address and date.

A rule of thumb: if it would take a tribunal member more than three seconds to identify the issue in your photo, the photo is not good enough. Take it again, closer, with better light.

The rooms that matter most

Not all spaces create equal dispute risk. Focus extra attention on:

• Kitchen benches and cabinetry. Scratches, chips, water damage, burn marks. Commonly disputed at exit.
• Bathroom grout, silicone, and shower screens. Mould and staining are frequent bond claim categories.
• Carpet throughout. Stains, wear paths, thinning near doorways.
• Walls near doorways and switches. Fingermarks, scuffs, and chips accumulate here.
• Window tracks and flyscreens. Cracked screens are a classic "this is pre-existing" dispute.
• Garden and outdoor areas. Photograph the garden bed layout, any dead spots in the lawn, and the state of paving.

What to do if the rental provider does not give you a report

This happens, and when it does, the rental provider's position at the end of the tenancy weakens considerably. But you should still document the property's condition yourself:

1. Email the rental provider or agent in writing, requesting the entry condition report. Keep a record of the request.
2. Create your own. Walk through with a written document noting condition of each room. Take photos. Send a copy to the rental provider, asking them to sign.
3. If they still refuse: at the end of the tenancy, the absence of a condition report they are legally required to provide is itself evidence that weakens any damage claim they might make.

Supplementing the report beyond the three-day window

Issues you discover after the three-day window are harder to formally add to the report, but you can still create a record. Email the rental provider with dated descriptions and photos, asking them to acknowledge. Their response, or lack of one, becomes part of the evidence trail.

If a maintenance issue appears during the tenancy (a leak, a broken fitting, a pest issue), report it in writing immediately. This both protects you from liability and creates a record that the issue was present during your tenancy, not caused by you.

At the exit inspection

Twelve months from now, at the other end of your tenancy, the condition report cycle repeats. Complete an exit condition report alongside the rental provider if possible. Repeat the photograph process. The comparison between your entry and exit documentation, if both are thorough, usually settles any bond dispute in your favour.

Related reading

• Fair wear and tear vs damage: the line that decides your bond, the legal test that applies to every condition report dispute.
• How to dispute a bond claim in Victoria, where the condition report sits in the dispute process.
• Consumer Affairs Victoria, Condition reports, the official guidance.